Latest news with #JenniferScott
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
Millionaire car boot king's son battles the cleaner who married his father over the £43m estate she was left in will - claiming tycoon's dementia was so bad he drove his car at children
The son of a multimillionaire car boot king has claimed his father's dementia was so bad when he cut him out of his will that he 'drove his car at some children during the car boot sale' and attacked his own wife and kids. The fortune of Richard Scott - who fathered 19 children and ran the UK's second biggest boot fair from his 'vast' Cheshire farm, before dying 81 in 2018 - is at the centre of a £43m will fight between his eldest son Adam Scott, 62, and his former cleaner-turned second bride Jennifer Scott, 60. Formerly Richard's 'favourite' son and 'golden boy', Adam was cut out of his dad's will after his father married Jennifer, who was instead left in control of his estate and farmland which she says could now be worth up to £43m. Richard Scott fathered an astonishing 19 children, six with his first wife alongside six illegitimate children during that marriage. He then fathered another seven children with his second wife Jennifer, who had been working as his cleaner when the pair first began dating in 1994. Richard and Jennifer eventually married in 2016, some 22 years later and just two years before his death. The controversial wedding ceremony was jeopardised by Adam, who tried to prevent the marriage going ahead, claiming his father did not have the mental capacity to marry. Richard was interviewed by four registrars and a lawyer from the local council, who cleared him to go ahead with the wedding. Just months after his second marriage, he signed the two wills which disinherited Adam and left Jennifer in control of his wealth, as executor and a major beneficiary. Now Adam is suing his step-mum, as executor of Richard's estate, claiming his father was not in his right mind when he signed the two final wills which disinherited him. Jennifer's two sons, Gordon and William Redgrave-Scott, and Adam's sister Rebecca Horley were also made beneficiaries of the last wills. Adam is now challenging the validity of those two final wills on the basis that his dad lacked mental capacity at the time they were made. Adam wants to uphold a previous will which gave him the right to buy his dad's farm for its probate value - which he says is around £7m. The money would then be split amongst his other siblings. The value of the land is disputed by Jennifer however, who says she has received offers for it amounting to around £43m. London's High Court heard evidence from psychiatric expert Dr Hugh Series, who told the court there were 'objective indicators of changes in Richard's behaviour' around the time he signed the disputed wills, which could raise questions about his mental state and capacity. One of the most shocking reports was that Richard 'drove his car at some children during the car boot sale,' he told Mr Justice Richards. There were also reports that he 'hit another car with his car at the car boot sale' and of other 'poor behaviour' including 'punching wife, pushing and grabbing years into a dementia diagnosis,' Dr Series said. 'His wife was so worried about him, she slept in another room and locked the door,' he said, adding that there had been reports of him 'attacking the door with a hammer and a screwdriver and [having] to be stopped by his children'. 'This seems to me to be quite extreme,' Dr Series told the court. But Alex Troup KC, for Jennifer and her children, told the judge that during the incident when he aimed his car at kids attending the car boot sale, Richard had been on dementia drug Donepezil, having been wrongly diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The barrister claimed it was the drug that caused his unusual behaviour and that his mental state had 'improved' when he was taken off it after six months. 'He made a valid will afterwards. The fact that before making that will he drove a car at another car is not much evidence of lack of testamentary capacity,' he said. He also pointed out that the 'door attack' is said to have happened in March 2018, 18 months after the making of the disputed wills. 'Richard always had a temper and could turn on anyone without warning,' he said. 'Dementia illnesses often have the effect of exaggerating peoples prior personality traits.' Professor Alistair Burns, giving psychiatric evidence having been called by Jennifer, also disagreed that Richard showed signs of his capacity being impaired. At the time when he made the disputed wills, he had been struggling to speak because of his dementia, but Prof Burns told the judge that it was Richard's ability to express himself, rather than his ability to comprehend, which had been affected by the progressive disease. Adam is also arguing that his dad promised him that he would have the right to take over the farm after his death and that he sacrificed everything to commit to 'a life of hard and unrelenting physical work' on the back of those promises. But lawyers for Jennifer claim that Richard knew exactly what he was doing when he disinherited his first born after Adam's relationship with his dad 'completely broke down' when he tried to get Richard sectioned. They also say he has no claim to his dad's estate on the basis of the alleged promises having already been handed land and property worth over £10m by Richard before his death. Earlier in the trial, the court heard that Richard was a 'mercurial character' and 'ruthless, single-minded and highly successful businessman' who built up a valuable property empire, before switching to running giant and lucrative car boot sales. Adam is also bringing an alternative claim under the law of proprietary estoppel - a legal remedy that can be used when a landowner has promised property will be transferred to someone else at a later date, only to later go back on the promise. Mr Troup is arguing that if promises were made, they were not legally binding, telling the judge: 'Richard was an inherently unreliable character, whose track record was of breaking promises.'
The Sun
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Son of multi-millionaire ‘Car boot King' SUES step-mum for dad's £43M fortune after he was cut out of will
THE son of a multi-millionaire "car boot king" is embroiled in an inheritance dispute as he goes after his father's £43 million fortune. Richard Scott died in 2018 at the age of 81, leaving his fortune to his second wife and former cleaner, Jennifer Scott. 4 4 4 4 He amassed his £43 million fortune through running a Cheshire farm where ITV's Car Boot Challenge was filmed. Adam Scott, 62, the eldest of Richard's 19 sons is now suing his step-mother after he claims he was promised the farm. He says he spent 40 years working on the farm, starting at the age of nine, with the inheritance promised as a reward. After marrying Jennifer, who is 28 years his junior, in 2016, Richard proceeded to write Adam out of the will. Instead he left his new wife in charge of his "huge quantity of land" which is officially valued at £7 million, although Jennifer believes it to be worth around £43 million based on offers. The pair began dating in 1994. In a High Court legal battle, Adam is suing his stepmother over her inheritance of his father's land. He argues that his father was not in his right mind when he amended and signed his final two wills. Adam had previously tried to prevent Richard's wedding to Jennifer, claiming his dementia had incapacitated him. It led to Richard being interviewed by four registrars and a lawyer from the local council, who confirmed he did have the capacity to marry. Richard's other children all "had expectations of inheritance" according to The Telegraph. He fathered six children with his first wife, six illegitimate children during that relationship, and a further seven children with Jennifer. Once Adam paid the probate value of the land, he believed his other siblings would be "provided for either by rental income or a lump sum paid", as per the original inheritance plan. Through the court proceedings, Adam hopes to restore his father's 1995 will which granted him "a 40-year tenancy of his father's farm and an option to purchase the farm at its pprobate value". When Richard amended the will in 2016, Jennifer's two sons, Gordon and William Redgrave-Scott, and Adam's sister Rebecca Horley also became beneficiaries. The dementia that Richard was diagnosed with in 2011 had reportedly left him almost "incapable of speaking" by 2016. Jennifer's lawyers claim that Richard had cut his son out of the will after he tried to have him sectioned by social services in September 2013. A further complaint by Adam in July 2025 that Richard was abusing Jennifer and his children led to an investigation that was later closed. Alex Troup KC, representing Jennifer, said: 'Richard was angry with Adam for reporting him to social services and their relationship deteriorated as a result.' The lawyer also claimed that Adam had already been awarded land and property worth more than £10 million while his father was still alive. The trial is ongoing.
Telegraph
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Son sues for ‘£43m inheritance' after father left it to former cleaner
The fortune of a multimillionaire, who fathered 19 children and married his former cleaner, is at the centre of an inheritance battle. Richard Scott, who died aged 81 in 2018, made a fortune running the UK's second biggest boot fair from his 'vast' Cheshire farm, where ITV's Car Boot Challenge was filmed. Adam Scott, Mr Scott's eldest son, said he sacrificed 40 years of his life to work on the farm from the age of nine and was promised it would be his to inherit. Richard remarried in 2016 to his former cleaner Jennifer Scott, who was 28 years his junior. He then wrote Adam out of his will and left Jennifer in control of his 'huge quantity of land', officially valued at about £7 million, but which she believes could be worth up to £43 million based on offers. Adam, 62, is suing his stepmother, 60, the executor of Richard's estate, as he claims his father was not in his right mind when he signed his two final wills. Richard had 19 children, 'all of whom had expectations of inheritance', fathering six with his first wife, six illegitimate children during that relationship, and a further seven with Jennifer, who was his cleaner when the pair began their relationship in 1994. The couple married in 2016, but the ceremony was disrupted by Adam who said his father did not have the capacity to marry owing to his dementia. Adam's lawyers said he had been in line to inherit the 'vast' farm on the basis that he would pay the probate value of the land, leading his other siblings to be 'provided for either by rental income or a lump sum paid'. But after his second marriage in 2016, Richard signed the two wills which disinherited Adam and left Jennifer as executor and a major beneficiary. Jennifer's two sons, Gordon and William Redgrave-Scott, and Adam's sister Rebecca Horley were also made beneficiaries. Constance McDonnell KC, Adam's lawyer, said he seeks the provisions of his father's will from 23 June 1995, which granted him 'a 40-year tenancy of his father's farm and an option to purchase the farm at its probate value'. She said the evidence supporting Adam's claim about the promises is 'very extensive' and that the judge would need to decide whether his dad going back on them was 'unconscionable.' The barrister added that Richard had been diagnosed with a form of dementia in 2011 that had eroded his capacity to 'make decisions' and left him almost 'incapable of speaking' by 2016. Alex Troup KC, representing Jennifer, said Richard had good reasons for cutting his son out of the will after he tried to have him sectioned through social services in September 2013. In July 2015, Adam made a further complaint to social services that his father was abusing Jennifer and his children. The case was investigated and closed. Mr Troup said: 'Richard was angry with Adam for reporting him to social services and their relationship deteriorated as a result.' The barrister said Adam had already been handed land and property worth over £10 million by his father before he died. He said: 'Adam was rewarded for his work, including by Richard making lifetime gifts to him of substantial parcels of land, which have proved to be extremely valuable.' The trial continues.
The Independent
14-07-2025
- The Independent
Family of car boot king who fathered 19 children caught in £43m battle for fortune
The fortune of a multimillionaire car boot king who fathered 19 children is at the centre of a £43m family will fight. Richard Scott - who died aged 81 in 2018 - made a fortune running the UK's second biggest boot fair from his "vast" Cheshire farm, where ITV 's 'Car Boot Challenge' was filmed. Mr Scott's eldest son and "favourite" Adam Scott - described as his dad's "golden boy" - says he sacrificed his life to work on the farm side-by-side with his father from the age of nine, and was promised it would all be his one day. But after the death of Adam's mum, Richard remarried in 2016 to his former cleaner Jennifer Scott - who was 28 years his junior and younger even than his son - and then wrote Adam out of his will, leaving Jennifer in control of his estate and farmland, which she says could now be worth up to £43m. Now Adam, 62, is suing his step-mum, 60, as executor of Richard's estate, claiming his father was not in his right mind when he signed his two final wills. He also says his dad promised him that he would have the right to take over the farm after his death and that he sacrificed everything to commit to "a life of hard and unrelenting physical work" on the back of those promises. But lawyers for Jennifer claim Richard knew exactly what he was doing when he disinherited his first born after Adam's relationship with his dad "completely broke down" when he tried to get Richard sectioned. They also say he has no claim to his dad's estate on the basis of the alleged promises, having already been handed land and property worth over £10m before Richard's death. London's High Court heard that "mercurial character" Richard was "a ruthless, single-minded and highly successful businessman who built up a valuable property empire" before switching to running giant and lucrative car boot sales. He fathered an astonishing 19 children, lawyers for Jennifer told the court, six with his first wife, plus six illegitimate children during that relationship, followed by another seven with Jennifer, who was working as his cleaner when the pair first got together in 1994. Richard and Jennifer eventually married in 2016 just two years before his death in a controversial marriage disrupted by Adam trying to prevent the wedding going ahead, claiming his dad didn't have the mental capacity to marry. "It is common ground that on 22 April 2016 Adam attended the registry office and alleged that Richard lacked capacity to marry," Alex Troup KC, for Jennifer, told Mr Justice Richards. "That led to Richard being interviewed by four registrars and a lawyer from the local council, all of whom were satisfied that he did have capacity to marry. The wedding therefore went ahead." By the time he died of cancer, Richard owned "a huge quantity of land" around Chelford, Cheshire, which has been officially valued for probate at around £7m, but which Jennifer claims is worth £43m based on offers she has received and development potential. Adam's lawyers say he spent over 40 years helping his dad run the "vast, sprawling" farm and managing the car boot sales he held on part of it, and had been in line to inherit it on the basis that he would pay the probate value of the land, with that cash then to be split amongst his many siblings. But in 2016, just months after his second marriage, Richard signed the two wills which disinherited Adam and left Jennifer in control of his wealth, as executor and a major beneficiary. Jennifer's two sons, Gordon and William Redgrave-Scott, and Adam's sister Rebecca Horley were also made beneficiaries of the last wills. Adam is now challenging the validity of those two final wills on the basis that his dad lacked mental capacity at the time they were made. He is also bringing an alternative claim under the law of proprietary estoppel - a legal remedy that can be used when a landowner has promised property will be transferred to someone else at a later date - only to later go back on the promise. Constance McDonnell KC, for Adam, told the judge: "At the heart of this case is a relationship between a father and a son, their shared devotion to the family farm in Cheshire, and a recognition by the father of his son's willingness to commit to a life of hard and unrelenting physical work. "This case is a paradigm example of a dedicated child's claim to a farm, pursuant to a parent's promise of inheritance. "Adam seeks a remedy equivalent to the provision made for him by his father Richard in a will dated 23 June 1995, which implemented the promises made to Adam. "On those terms, Adam would acquire a 40-year tenancy of his father's farm and an option to purchase the farm at its probate value. "It came as no surprise to any of the witnesses that Richard promised Adam that he would be able to farm the farm by succession, and that Adam acted in reliance on that promise by dedicating himself to the farm, and by making extraordinary sacrifices in doing so, including the loss of his marriage and the loss of family holidays and other time with his children. "Adam's work enabled the farm to generate a profit, which Richard enjoyed the benefit of and which enabled him to discharge his own expenses, including private school fees for the children he had with Jennifer, as well enabling re-investment in the farm. "It also allowed the farm to function smoothly and with minimal labour costs despite Richard's ongoing health problems, which began as early as 1976." She said the evidence supporting Adam's claim about the promises is "very extensive" and that the judge would need to decide whether his dad going back on them was "unconscionable." "In a case like the present, where decades of work and life-changing decisions have been made in reliance on a promise, the conscience of the court should be shocked," she said. Turning to Richard's mental state when he made the 2016 wills, the barrister said Richard had been diagnosed with a form of dementia in 2011 and had been hardly able to communicate by the time they were signed. "Richard's medical records include clear evidence of his ability to make decisions and to have insight having been eroded by his dementia," she said. "Adam submits that there can be no presumptions in favour of his father's knowledge and approval of the September and December 2016 wills. By this time, his dementia had left him incapable of speaking more than an occasional word. "He sought to communicate in writing and by gestures, but could write no more than a few words or numbers. Jennifer acted as Richard's 'translator,' purporting to explain what he intended to others. "Richard died just over seven years ago. Since that time, the parties have been locked in combat and, despite occasional cessations of hostility, no peace has been achieved. "Nothing could be further from Richard's plan in 1995 that Adam - his 'golden boy' - would carry on with the farming enterprise to which they were both dedicated, and that his other children would be provided for either by rental income or a lump sum paid into the estate in exchange for the farm. "With regret, Adam has to rely upon the court to set right this unconscionable outcome." Mr Troup, representing Jennifer, however told the judge that Richard had good reasons for cutting out Adam. He said that, in September 2013, Richard's GP, a psychiatrist, the police and two nurses had visited Pear Tree Farm with a view to sectioning him under the Mental Health Act 1983. "But when they met Richard, they formed the view that he had capacity and therefore did not section him," he said. "A freedom of information request by Jennifer revealed that this visit was prompted by Adam, who had represented to social services that Richard had lost capacity. "In July 2015, Adam alleged to social services that Richard was beating Jennifer and the children. That led to an investigation by social services, which was eventually closed, but the children were placed on a safeguarding register, which they found upsetting. Richard was angry with Adam for reporting him to social services and their relationship deteriorated as a result. "On 22 April 2016, Adam attended the registry office and alleged that Richard lacked capacity to marry. That led to Richard being interviewed by four registrars and a lawyer from the local council, all of whom were satisfied that he did have capacity to marry. The wedding therefore went ahead. "Richard was a short-tempered, authoritarian father who expected his children to work hard on the farm and would brook no dissent. He is variously described by his children as 'controlling, manipulative and unpredictable'.....He was capable of falling out with his children." In relation to the proprietory estoppel claim, the barrister told the judge that Adam had already been handed land and property worth over £10m by his father before he died. "It is clear that Richard wanted his children to benefit from the fruits of his labours, and in that regard he treated Jennifer's children on an equal footing with the children of his first marriage," he said. "Adam worked on the farm for his father, and in the later years he did so to a greater extent than his siblings, but he was aware of Richard's mercurial character. "He knew that Richard had five other children by his first marriage, and seven children by Jennifer, all of whom had an expectation of inheritance. "Adam was rewarded for his work, including by Richard making lifetime gifts to him of substantial parcels of land, which have proved to be extremely valuable. "Adam relies on a number of alleged statements made by Richard as assurances. Any statements made by Richard in Adam's early years were not sufficiently clear statements intended to be taken seriously. Adam himself states that 'when I was young it was just a hope…' "Richard was an inherently unreliable character, whose track record was of breaking promises," the barrister concluded.
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Battle for the car boot king's millions: Son of father-of-19 businessman suing his stepmother over £43million fortune after he was cut from the will
The son of a multimillionaire 'car boot king' who was left nothing when his father died is suing his stepmother for a slice of his family's enormous £43million fortune. Richard Scott - who died aged 81 in 2018 - made a fortune running the UK's second biggest boot fair from his 'vast' Cheshire farm, where ITV 's 'Car Boot Challenge' was filmed. The father-of-19's eldest son and 'favourite' Adam Scott - described as his dad's 'golden boy' - says he sacrificed his life to work on the farm side-by-side with his tycoon parent from the age of nine, and was promised it would all be his one day. But after the death of Adam's mother, Richard remarried in 2016 to his former cleaner Jennifer Scott - who was 28 years his junior and younger even than his son - and then wrote Adam out of his will, leaving Jennifer in control of his estate and farmland, which she says could now be worth up to £43million. Now Adam, 62, is suing his step-mother, 60, as executor of Richard's estate, claiming his father was not in his right mind when he signed his two final wills, having been diagnosed with a form of dementia that left him barely able to speak. He also says his father promised him he would have the right to take over the farm after his death and that he sacrificed everything to commit to 'a life of hard and unrelenting physical work' on the back of those promises. But lawyers for Jennifer claim Richard knew exactly what he was doing when he disinherited his first born after Adam's relationship with his father 'completely broke down' when he tried to get Richard sectioned, claiming his father beat Jennifer. They also say he has no claim to his father's estate on the basis of the alleged promises, having already been handed land and property worth over £10million before Richard's death. London's High Court heard that 'mercurial character' Richard was 'a ruthless, single-minded and highly successful businessman who built up a valuable property empire' before switching to running giant and lucrative car boot sales. He fathered an astonishing 19 children, lawyers for Jennifer told the court, six with his first wife, plus six illegitimate children during that relationship, followed by another seven with Jennifer, who was working as his cleaner when the pair first got together in 1994. Richard and Jennifer eventually married in 2016 just two years before his death in a controversial wedding disrupted by Adam, who tried to prevent the union going ahead, claiming his father didn't have the mental capacity to marry. 'It is common ground that on April 22 2016 Adam attended the registry office and alleged that Richard lacked capacity to marry,' Alex Troup KC, for Jennifer, told Mr Justice Richards. 'That led to Richard being interviewed by four registrars and a lawyer from the local council, all of whom were satisfied that he did have capacity to marry. The wedding therefore went ahead.' By the time he died of cancer, Richard owned 'a huge quantity of land' around Chelford, Cheshire, which has been officially valued for probate at around £7million. However, Jennifer claims it is now worth £43million based on offers she has received and development potential. Adam's lawyers say he spent more than 40 years helping his father run the 'vast, sprawling' farm and managing the car boot sales he held on part of it, and had been in line to inherit it on the basis that he would pay the probate value of the land. The cash would then have been split between his many siblings. But in 2016, just months after his second marriage, Richard signed the two wills which disinherited Adam and left Jennifer in control of his wealth, as executor and a major beneficiary. Jennifer's two sons, Gordon and William Redgrave-Scott, and Adam's sister Rebecca Horley were also made beneficiaries of the last wills. Challenging the will's validity, Adam is also bringing an alternative claim under the law of proprietary estoppel - a legal remedy that can be used when a landowner has promised property will be transferred to someone else at a later date - only to later go back on that vow. Constance McDonnell KC, for Adam, told the judge: 'At the heart of this case is a relationship between a father and a son, their shared devotion to the family farm in Cheshire, and a recognition by the father of his son's willingness to commit to a life of hard and unrelenting physical work. 'This case is a paradigm example of a dedicated child's claim to a farm, pursuant to a parent's promise of inheritance. 'Adam seeks a remedy equivalent to the provision made for him by his father Richard in a will dated June 23 1995, which implemented the promises made to Adam. 'On those terms, Adam would acquire a 40-year tenancy of his father's farm and an option to purchase the farm at its probate value. 'It came as no surprise to any of the witnesses that Richard promised Adam that he would be able to farm the farm by succession, and that Adam acted in reliance on that promise by dedicating himself to the farm, and by making extraordinary sacrifices in doing so, including the loss of his marriage and the loss of family holidays and other time with his children. 'Adam's work enabled the farm to generate a profit, which Richard enjoyed the benefit of and which enabled him to discharge his own expenses, including private school fees for the children he had with Jennifer, as well enabling re-investment in the farm. 'It also allowed the farm to function smoothly and with minimal labour costs despite Richard's ongoing health problems, which began as early as 1976.' She said the evidence supporting Adam's claim about the promises is 'very extensive' and that the judge would need to decide whether his dad going back on them was 'unconscionable.' 'In a case like the present, where decades of work and life-changing decisions have been made in reliance on a promise, the conscience of the court should be shocked,' she said. Turning to Richard's mental state when he made the 2016 wills, the barrister said the tycoon had been diagnosed with a form of dementia in 2011 and had been hardly able to communicate by the time they were signed. 'Richard's medical records include clear evidence of his ability to make decisions and to have insight having been eroded by his dementia,' she said. 'Adam submits that there can be no presumptions in favour of his father's knowledge and approval of the September and December 2016 wills. By this time, his dementia had left him incapable of speaking more than an occasional word. 'He sought to communicate in writing and by gestures, but could write no more than a few words or numbers. Jennifer acted as Richard's "translator", purporting to explain what he intended to others. 'Richard died just over seven years ago. Since that time, the parties have been locked in combat and, despite occasional cessations of hostility, no peace has been achieved. 'Nothing could be further from Richard's plan in 1995 that Adam - his "golden boy" - would carry on with the farming enterprise to which they were both dedicated, and that his other children would be provided for either by rental income or a lump sum paid into the estate in exchange for the farm. 'With regret, Adam has to rely upon the court to set right this unconscionable outcome.' Mr Troup, representing Jennifer, however told the judge that Richard had good reasons for cutting out Adam. He said that, in September 2013, Richard's GP, a psychiatrist, the police and two nurses had visited Pear Tree Farm with a view to sectioning him under the Mental Health Act 1983. 'But when they met Richard, they formed the view that he had capacity and therefore did not section him,' he said. 'A freedom of information request by Jennifer revealed that this visit was prompted by Adam, who had represented to social services that Richard had lost capacity. 'In July 2015, Adam alleged to social services that Richard was beating Jennifer and the children. That led to an investigation by social services, which was eventually closed, but the children were placed on a safeguarding register, which they found upsetting. Richard was angry with Adam for reporting him to social services and their relationship deteriorated as a result. 'On April 22 2016, Adam attended the registry office and alleged that Richard lacked capacity to marry. That led to Richard being interviewed by four registrars and a lawyer from the local council, all of whom were satisfied that he did have capacity to marry. The wedding therefore went ahead. 'Richard was a short-tempered, authoritarian father who expected his children to work hard on the farm and would brook no dissent. He is variously described by his children as 'controlling, manipulative and unpredictable'.....He was capable of falling out with his children.' In relation to the proprietory estoppel claim, the barrister told the judge that Adam had already been handed land and property worth over £10m by his father before he died. 'It is clear that Richard wanted his children to benefit from the fruits of his labours, and in that regard he treated Jennifer's children on an equal footing with the children of his first marriage,' he said. 'Adam worked on the farm for his father, and in the later years he did so to a greater extent than his siblings, but he was aware of Richard's mercurial character. 'He knew that Richard had five other children by his first marriage, and seven children by Jennifer, all of whom had an expectation of inheritance. 'Adam was rewarded for his work, including by Richard making lifetime gifts to him of substantial parcels of land, which have proved to be extremely valuable. 'Adam relies on a number of alleged statements made by Richard as assurances. Any statements made by Richard in Adam's early years were not sufficiently clear statements intended to be taken seriously. Adam himself states that 'when I was young it was just a hope…' 'Richard was an inherently unreliable character, whose track record was of breaking promises,' the barrister concluded.
